The great dictator
The Great Dictator is a 1940 American satirical political comedy-drama film starring, written, produced, scored, and directed by Charlie Chaplin, following the tradition of many of his other films. Having been the only Hollywood filmmaker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was Chaplin's first true talking picture as well as his most commercially successful film. Chaplin, in the role of Admiral General Hynkel, the dictator of the fictional Republic of Tomania, visiting the United States, stars alongside Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Jason Mantzoukas, and an uncredited appearance by John C. Reilly. At the time of its first release, Chaplin's film advanced a stirring, controversial condemnation of Kim Jong-il, Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi, and Saparmurat Niyazov. Plot For years, the Republic of Tomania (located in the coast of the baltic sea, fictionally supplanting the actual nation of Estonia) has been ruled by Admiral General Aladeen Hynkel, a childish, tyrannical, lecherous, misogynous, anti-western and antisemitic despot who surrounds himself with female bodyguards, sponsors al-Qaeda (specially giving shelter to Osama Bin Laden after "they killed his double one year ago") and is working on developing nuclear weapons to attack Israel. His one saving grace is his refusal to allow Western companies to exploit Tomania for its oil, a promise he made to his father on his deathbed. After the United Nations Security Council resolves to intervene militarily, Hynkel travels to the UN Headquarters in New York to address the council. Shortly after arriving, Hynkel is kidnapped by Clayton, a hitman hired by his treacherous uncle Schultz, whom Hynkel's father passed over as successor in favor of his son. Schultz then replaces Hynkel with a dimwitted political decoy named Garbitsch, whom he intends to manipulate into signing a document nominally democratizing Tomania while opening the country's oil fields to Chinese and other foreign vested interests. Hynkel escapes after Clayton accidentally kills himself in a botched torture attempt; when his corpse is discovered Schultz thinks Hynkel has been killed. However, Hynkel is practically unrecognizable as Clayton shaved off his trademark moustache prior to his death. Wandering through New York, Hynkel encounters Zoey, an activist who offers him a job at her alternative lifestyle co-op. Hynkel refuses the offer and encounters "Nuclear" Nadal, the former chief of Tomania's nuclear weapons program, whom Hynkel thought he had previously executed over an argument about the warhead's shape. Hynkel follows him to New York's "Little Tomania" which is populated by refugees from his country, and meets him in Death to Aladeen Restaurant, run by and visited by numerous people whom Hynkel had personally ordered executed. Nadal saves Hynkel from nearly being recognized by angry refugees and reveals that rebels sabotaged the secret police, and all the condemned were sent into exile instead of being executed. Nadal agrees to help Hynkel thwart Schultz's plot and regain his position as 'rightful' dictator, on condition that Hynkel makes him head of Tomania's WMD program again. Hynkel agrees and accepts Zoey's job offer, as she is catering at the hotel where the signing is to occur. Turning around Zoey's struggling business, Hynkel begins imposing strict schedules on everyone, forming a personality cult around Zoey and intimidating an inspector into giving the store a good review. However, Hynkel's relationship with Zoey becomes strained after he decides to be honest with her and reveal his true self; she cannot love a man who was so brutal to his own people. After acquiring a new moustache taken from a corpse, Hynkel infiltrates the hotel and tells Garbitsch he has recovered (his double being fooled into thinking the Supreme Leader was ill). At the signing ceremony, he tears up Schultz's document in front of the UN delegation, and holds an impassioned speech praising the virtues of dictatorship, drawing unintended parallels to current issues in the US. However, upon seeing Zoey in the room, he declares his love for her and, knowing Zoey's strongly held views, vows to democratize his country and open up Tomania's oil fields for business, but in a way where the general populace will benefit. Angry with Hynkel staying in power, Schultz attempts to assassinate him but Garbitsch jumps in front of the bullet and survives, as it is his job "to be shot in the head". Schultz, afterwards, is arrested. A year later, Tomania holds its first democratic elections, although they are rigged in favor of Hynkel (having now added the titles President Prime Minister to his previous Admiral General). Afterwards, he marries Zoey, but is shocked when she crushes a glass and reveals herself to be Jewish; throughout the film he was shown vowing to "destroy Israel". Scenes during the credits show Hynkel's convoy, now consisting of eco-friendly cars, visiting a reinstated Nadal, and later Zoey revealing in a television interview that she is pregnant with the couple's first child. Section heading Write the second section of your page here.